


Son of a Fox (an ASATS one-shot)

by thecosmickid



Series: ASATS One-Shots [2]
Category: Guardians of the Galaxy (Comics), Guardians of the Galaxy (Movies), Marvel (Comics), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-29
Updated: 2018-05-29
Packaged: 2019-05-15 18:40:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,660
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14795858
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thecosmickid/pseuds/thecosmickid
Summary: Shortly after the events on Xandar, the newly christened Guardians of the Galaxy get a strange visitor.





	Son of a Fox (an ASATS one-shot)

On the outskirts of the Gemini quadrant- where the Guardians were to follow up with a town they had freed from a band of marauders two weeks prior-  _Aurora's_ engine unexpectedly guttered and died.  Gamora, who had been dozing on her bunk at the time, was awakened by a shout from Rocket.  She got up, finding the ship pitch-black and almost totally silent.

"What happened?" She called into the darkness as she made her way to the main deck.

"We must have run into a solar storm," Rocket replied.  She could hear him shuffling about in the cockpit, flipping switches in a vain attempt to get the power back on.

"The backup generators?" She asked.

"Those are out, too."

There was a moment of tense silence before Gamora said, "Without power, there's no air cycling system.  Or heating panels."

"No shit," Rocket muttered.  "Go wake Quill, it's his ship.  Maybe he still has the owner's manual."

Gamora turned towards Quill's bunk, letting the heat readout from her eye implants guide her.  She made it to his bed, where he was a soft orange bundle under his blankets.  She shook him gently.

"Wake up," she said.  "We lost power."

He grunted, rolling onto his side and pulling the blankets away from his face.  He sat in silence for a moment while his eyes adjusted.

"How long has it been out?"

"Just a few minutes.  But we lost the backup generators too."

"Damn," he murmured, getting to his feet.  "Alright, I gotta get down to the fuse box."

She stepped aside to let him pass, and then followed close behind him.  The fuse box was in the cargo hold.  Quill didn't seem particularly bothered by the dark, making his way easily down the stairs and between the crates and containers littering the place.  He pulled the fuse box open and started flipping switches.  Nothing happened.  Quill made a small, confused sound and turned to face Gamora.

"What happened?" He asked.

"Rocket thinks we hit a solar storm."

"No," the man replied softly.  "I used to bump into them in the Milano sometimes.  The ships have electromagnetic shields that keep all the systems from being knocked out.  This is something else."

With this ominous pronouncement, Quill leaped back up the stairs and said to anyone listening, "Get your weapons ready.  I think we're under attack."

Almost as soon as he had spoken, there was a resounding boom from below.  By now, Drax had appeared from his bunk, colliding clumsily with Gamora as she came up the stairs.  She barely noticed, her attention back on the cargo bay.  The boom had come from the loading bay door.  Something was trying to get in.

"Rocket, what can you see?" She called.

"Not much," Rocket replied.  "I think there's something on our starboard side.  A ship, maybe."

Quill ran to the window, peering out.  "That's a ship, alright.  I dunno where it came from, though.  It doesn't look Kree, or Sakaarian."

There was another boom.  "We're being boarded," Gamora called.  Her mind went instantly to Nebula- she had escaped them during their fight with Ronan nearly a month and a half ago.  That would have been plenty of time for her to acquire a vessel and come seeking vengeance.

The ship rattled loudly.  Gamora scrambled for her sword, which was laying on a nearby table.  She heard Quill's element guns click.

From where she was standing, she could see the edge of the loading bay door as it began to rise.  The lights overhead flickered a few times.  She beckoned to Quill in the few seconds of illumination this provided.  He came duly to her side, peering down into the hold.

There was a hiss, and a billow of steam issued forth from the bay door.  The lights flickered once more, and then there was darkness again.  All four Guardians stood in perfect silence, listening closely.

"Hello?" A voice rang out from below, causing them all to start.  "Is there anyone here?"

There were soft footsteps as whoever had invited themselves aboard the ship moved around, searching for life.

"Are you the ones that they call the Guardians of the Galaxy?"

"Who wants to know?" Quill responded.  Gamora glanced over at him- the orange of his body was turning a warmer yellow.  She could feel him bristling from here.

At the foot of the stairs, another figure had appeared.  It was a large figure- a man, as tall as Quill or taller, with broad shoulders and long limbs.  "There you are," he said.  "I've been looking everywhere for you."

Quill was growling now, rumbling away like a finely-tuned motor.  "Who the hell are you?" He snapped.

"Calm down, my boy, I don't wish you any harm.  I simply wanted to make myself acquainted."

"Then start," Quill snarled, "by telling me who you are."

"My name is Eros- but you may well know me as Starfox."

"I ain't ever heard of you."

Gamora watched the man below them closely.  The name  _was_  familiar, although she couldn't say why.  She had no recollection of ever meeting him.

He waved a hand and light returned to the ship.  Now they could get a better look at him- he was an older man, with deeply tanned skin and vibrant red hair.  His eyes were a luminous amber.  He smiled up at them toothily.

"May I come up?" He asked politely.  "I've heard so much about you, and I would like to know you better."

Quill didn't respond.  Gamora looked to him, and found in the full light that he was taut and trembling, the hair on the back of his neck standing on end.  His teeth were bared in a strange grimace.  Eros did not wait for his response, beginning up the stairs.  Gamora took a step back, the handle of her sword grasped tightly.  As Eros reached the top of the stairs, he glanced around at the Guardians.  "Only four of you?" He said, cocking his head.

"What the fuck do you want?" Quill exclaimed.

"I already said," Eros replied with a carefree sort of smile.  "To know you better."  So saying, he gave the Guardians another glance.  His gaze settled on Gamora.

"A Zen-Whoberi?" He asked quietly.  "I thought you all had been destroyed."

"Don't talk to her," Quill replied at once.  "In fact, don't talk to any of them.  Leave us alone."

Eros looked distinctly hurt.  "Now, Peter," he said almost chidingly.  "I don't mean any harm."

At this, Quill aimed a gun at the man.  The Guardians quickly followed suit.  Eros, barely looking at the others, waved his large hand once more.  Instantly, something had come over Gamora- a sort of heavy sleepiness that even in her aroused state she could not resist.  She blinked a few times, lowering her sword involuntarily.  With some effort, she looked around to find that Drax and Rocket were in similar states, their eyes glassy and their weapons falling to their sides.  Only Quill remained alert.

"What did you do to them?" Gamora heard him say.  "And why do you know my name?"

"Well, many people know you now.  You're quite famous!  That's why I heard about you."

"But why did you come here?"  Quill's voice was growing less angry by degrees.  Gamora watched drowsily as he stared at Eros, pale and wide-eyed.

"I have been waiting years to hear something of you," Eros replied.  "And when I got word of a young man who had handled an Infinity Stone and lived to tell about it, I knew that the time had come.  And I must say, you look much as I expected you to.  You have your mother's eyes."

Quill all but dropped his guns, as if the strength had suddenly gone from him.  "Please," he murmured.  "Don't do this."

Eros watched him curiously.  "What do you mean?"

"Someone told you I don't have a dad, right?  They told you that my mom was from Terra?"

Eros chuckled.  "Told me?  No, my boy.  Your mother was Meredith Quill, from a little town in the place called America.  She was the most  incredible woman I have ever met.  And I was all too aware that you didn't have a father.  That was my fault entirely."

"No!" The word escaped Quill as a sob.  Even in her state of forced calm, Gamora felt the urge to defend him- to put herself between him and Eros.  Quill was instantly teary-eyed.  He flinched as Eros reached out for him, placing his hands on Quill's shoulders.

"I know this must be difficult," Eros was saying softly.  "All those years you must have spent wondering.  But I'm here now, Peter.  And you, my son- you are truly beautiful."

Quill blinked fat tears, still looking stricken.  Eros leaned in to press his forehead to Quill's.  They stood for a moment like this, Eros looking blissful, and Quill staring at him with bright, glossy eyes.

At last Eros took a step back, looking his son up and down.  "You are a handsome thing," he laughed.

Quill wiped his face hurriedly.  "Can you fix my friends?" He asked.  "They won't attack you now."

"Of course."

The heavy weariness on Gamora began to lift at once.  She stood looking back and forth between Quill and Eros.  Now it was beginning to seem clear.  They looked a great deal alike, from their wide cheekbones and full lips to their impressive size.  The red in Quill's hair seemed more evident now.

"Guys," Quill said with an excited glance around.  "This is my dad."

"We heard," Rocket replied, shaking his head to disperse the last of the the sleepiness.  "Can you tell him not to do... whatever that was anymore?"

"I apologize," Eros replied, looking sheepish.  "I had to speak to Peter in peace."

"There's so much..." Quill was saying.  "So much I need to ask you."

"All in good time," Eros replied.  Unexpectedly, he pulled Quill into an embrace, holding the man tight.  Quill seemed momentarily uneasy, but soon he has buried his face in Eros' shoulder.  A soft rumble like a purr was emanating from between them.

"Tell me what I am," Quill breathed.

"What you are?"

"What species are we?"

Eros laughed.  "We are of a proud race called the Titans, who come from the ancient Eternals."

Gamora's blood had run cold.  She realized where she had heard the name.  She unsheathed her sword, which caused both men to look at her in surprise.

"Get away from him, Peter," she said coldly.  "There's something he hasn't told you yet."

Eros looked genuinely baffled.  Quill, meanwhile, ignored her instructions and remained where he was, clasped in Eros' arms.

"What haven't you told me?" He asked quietly.

Gamora answered for Eros.  "He's Thanos' brother."

Quill looked between Gamora and his father for a moment, uncertain.  "Thanos?"

Eros nodded, still looking confused.  "I'm afraid I don't understand.  It is common knowledge that he is my brother.  Surely your friend doesn't take that as some implication of guilt on my part."

Quill backed out of the embrace at last.  "Gamora," he said quietly.  She motioned for him to come closer.

"Thanos didn't say much about his family," she hissed when he has reached her side.  "We should be cautious."

"Please," Eros said, clearly having heard her.  "My family were just as much victims of Thanos as everyone else.  I understand he may have hurt you, but I promise-"

"Don't mind her," Quill replied.  "She's his daughter."

Eros' face lit up at once.  "Truly?  I didn't know I had a niece!"

He came forward as if to embrace her, and she brandished her sword.  "It's not like that," she said.  "He raised me, but I'm not his daughter."

"So he really is... my uncle?" Quill interjected, sounding a little ill.

"I'm afraid so," Eros replied.

Quill turned to Gamora.  "I almost kissed you!" He said in a stage whisper.  "We're cousins!"

Gamora rolled her eyes.

"So... what now?" Rocket asked suddenly.

"I should like Peter to return home with me," Eros said.  "There is so much he must learn."

"Well, we're right in the middle of something, now," Quill replied, although there was great hesitation in his voice.  Gamora could see that he wanted nothing more than to go with his father.  He glanced around at the Guardians and said, "I'm gonna talk to my dad alone for a while.  Y'all sit tight."

"Can I get us back en route?" Rocket asked.

"Sure.  Call me if there's a problem."

That said, Quill turned to Eros.  Gamora watched uneasily as they disappeared together into the upper deck.

\-----

The second that they were alone together, Quill could not help himself but to dissolve into delighted whines.  He walked a full circle around Eros, taking in lungfuls of his scent.  He smelled of fresh grass and jasmine.  He watched Quill in fond amusement.

"I know you've never seen another of your kind," he said.  Quill nodded absently.  He was sniffing and sniffing, his mind overrun with memories that were only now coming back to him.  That smell had been all over the farmhouse he had lived in with his mother.  He had assumed as a child that it was simply a part of the old structure, seeping from its wood floors and ancient carpets.  But now he understood that it had been the lingering smell of his father, all over his childhood home.  His eyes stung fiercely.

"You've gotta tell me everything," he said at last.  "I want to know  _everything_."

"Where shall I start?"

"How the hell did you meet my mom?"

"I vacationed on Terra frequently back then- it was such a short trip from Titan.  And on my last trip there, I met her.  She was working in an eating establishment, as a server.  I fell in love with her the second I saw her."

"Old Joe's," Quill said.  "She worked there until... until she got sick."

"Sick?" Eros echoed.

"Yeah.  She got really sick when I was 7."   _Of course he didn't know.  How could he know?_   "She's... she died."

Eros was silent for a moment.  "She's gone?"

Quill nodded.  He watched his father's face contort with agony.  "All these years, she really has been dead.  And you have been alone in the clutches of that treacherous pirate."

"Yeah," Quill replied, a strange feeling rising in his throat.  "Did you have something to do with that?"

Eros nodded, still looking pained.  "I sent Yondu Udonta to bring you and your mother to me where I was hiding.  I paid him half a fortune, and promised the rest with your safe return.  When he didn't come back, I assumed that you were dead.  My servants could not find him, no matter where they looked."

"What were you hiding from?" Quill asked, beginning to feel a bit light-headed at all this new information.

"From my brother.  He killed most of the Titans, and he wanted to kill me, too.  But I found a safe place where I knew he would never bother us.  We could have been a family."

Quill took a deep, uneven breath.  "Okay, I gotta slow down here.  This is all so much."

"I know, my poor child.  What a confusing life you must have led."

Quill settled on a bench by a window.  They were moving again, the stars streaks of light against a velvet-black void.

"I was so angry with you," he murmured at length.  "Mom always said that my dad was alive, and he would come back for me someday.  When you never did, I was angry.  I was stuck with the Ravagers, all by myself.  But now you're here, and you're real.  And she wasn't crazy.  And I'm not angry."

He tasted salty tears suddenly.  They were coursing unchecked down his face.  Eros saw, and came at once to kneel in front of his son.  A great, warm hand cupped Quill's cheek, which only made the tears come quicker.  Quill mopped helplessly at his face with a sleeve.

"My son," Eros said, more to himself than to Quill.  "You are just as I dreamed you would be."

Quill laughed a little.  "You... are not much like I dreamed."

Eros placed a warm, wet kiss on his brow.  "My prayers were answered.  Although my sweet Meredith is truly gone, my son is alive and beautiful, and a hero to billions of people."

Quill nodded, sniffling.  "Just wait 'til I get my hands on Yondu."

"Was he kind to you?"

"Sometimes."

Eros leaned in to nuzzle him apologetically, brushing his nose and mouth against Quill's ear.  It was such an unexpectedly pleasant feeling that Quill let out a purr.  Eros withdrew to look at him closely.

"You have your mother's eyes, indeed.  But everything else about you is Titanian."

Quill could not resist grinning at this.  All his life, he had been an outsider.  His unusual traits had alienated him from the citizens of the Empire as much as they had from the children in his hometown.  But now, looking into his father's flashing eyes and hearing him purr, and seeing the ridge of hair on the nape of his neck, he finally wasn't alone.  His heart ached.

"You said Thanos killed the other Titans?" He asked.

"Most of them.  My father, my half-sister and her children, and I are the only of our bloodline left alive.  Our subjects are largely dead."

"Subjects?" Quill repeated.

"Yes," Eros said with a chuckle.  "My father is King A'lars.  Though he retains the title, he abdicated his throne to me not long ago.  You are a prince, Peter."

Quill swallowed.  "A... a prince?"

"I have no kingdom to offer you, now that Thanos has done his terrible work.  But there is a beautiful palace on Titan, and we have territories throughout the galaxy.  Not to mention the royal fortune."

Quill stared back at him in disbelief.  "You're kidding, right?  I'm a freaking prince?"

"The crown prince, in fact."

Quill laughed giddily.  "The others are never gonna believe this."

"I want more than anything to be a part of your life, Peter," Eros said emphatically.  "Let me travel with you wherever it is you're going.  And when you've finished, we will return to Titan."

"Isn't it dangerous, with Thanos still out there?"

"My sources report to me that he has turned his attention elsewhere.  I don't know what dark purpose he could be working to now, and I don't care to know.  For now, he has forgotten about me.  You can meet your grandfather, and your aunt and cousins."

Quill was nodding.   _A family!_  He was thinking feverishly.   _A_ royal  _family!_

"I have questions for you, too," Eros said. "I have missed so much of your life.  Do you have a mate? Or children?"

Quill lowered his eyes.  "No, sir.  Not for lack of trying."

Eros nodded sympathetically.  "It can be hard.  Non-Titans are generally reluctant to make us their permanent mates.  I was lucky to find your mother.  But don't fret.  You are still just a boy.  You'll have hundreds of years to find a partner."

"... _What?_ "

"Ah, another revelation.  Our species is exceptionally long-lived.  Even if your Terran blood shortens your lifespan, I would estimate that you will still live for hundreds, if not thousands of years."

Quill could only make a soft sound of wonderment.  "How old are you?"

"Upwards of 2 millennia, my boy."

"I think I need a drink."

"And I think I should give you some time to digest all of this.  I'd like to have a conversation with your lovely green friend down below."

"She's not very talkative."

"I think she'll warm up to me."

So saying, he made his way back down the stairs.  Quill, half-expecting to awaken from this dream any second, folded his arms behind his head and sighed.  When he woke up this morning, he was a lonely Terran outlaw whose only domain was a ship he'd won in a bet.  Now he was a semi-immortal prince of an ancient kingdom- and more importantly, he had a father.  A real, living and breathing father not unlike the one his mother had lovingly described all those years ago.  She had never mentioned that he was godlike, or royalty.  Perhaps, he thought, to keep her young son from passing this information along to his classmates and furthering her reputation as Arcadia's resident lunatic.

Questions he had been asking himself for nearly his whole life were suddenly being answered.  His heart felt like it was singing in his chest.  And while before he had been dreading his next encounter with Yondu, now he couldn't wait.  He was itching to get a hold of the man.

He was jerked from his blissful reveries by the sudden, sickening drop from jump speed.  He nearly fell out of his chair, and throughout the ship there were shouts of alarm and irritation.  Quill got quickly to his feet and hurried down to the cockpit, where Rocket was beckoning for him.

"What the hell is going on now?" Quill said as he approached.

"The navigation system force-stopped our jump because she encountered an 'unexpected object'."

"An object in the warp lane?"

Rocket pointed out the windshield, saying nothing.

Quill leaned in to look.  Looming ahead of them was a planet- if you could call it that.  It was hardly larger than a small moon, and it was a bizarre purple-red in color.  "Why would they make a warp lane with a planet right in the middle of it?" He muttered.

"Easy," Rocket replied.  "That planet wasn't always there."

Quill leaned in further- something had caught his eye. The surface of the planet, which appeared at first to be pock-marked with millions of craters, was  _moving_.  Before their very eyes, a gigantic face was slowly coming to life.

"What the  _fuck_ ," Quill breathed.  As he did, the great face opened its rocky eyes and looked directly at the ship as it approached.


End file.
